A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8242436 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 81584126 epoch_slot_no: 195326 block_no: 8242259 slot_leader_id: 7261263 size: 79429 time: 2023-01-08 04:00:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8ff5ccf735172caccadee378ebb6335a6b12d836d5d35d51220c5f748bca988Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6xmszspk6kq6nvqrjecyzdcgt4ln5fuflfaw2370jcvr75lrweqalr9gz op_cert: \x88794fe7e9ca9d6ff4cc9bae4cd4a03fb2d49b7c5174be26540f3a390f91926b op_cert_counter: 7